US want Bangladesh to diversify export base

The United States wants to see Bangladesh diversify its export base and capture more global market share, said US ambassador to the latter Marcia Bernicat. Urging Dhaka to boost the agri-business, pharmaceuticals and information technology sectors, she said no economy should depend on one commodity. She was interacting with diplomatic correspondents in Dhaka. To tap the potential, Bangladesh needs capital and people willing to invest, quoted her as saying. Bangladeshis will have to invest first to attract foreign investors, she said. US exports to Bangladesh in 2017 grew by 61 per cent to reach $1.47 bn, and twoway trade between both the nations has reached over $7 bn, which is quite an increase over the 1992 figure of just over $1 bn, she noted.